Shell was part of the Crimson Guard gathering on Stratem that marked the end of the Diaspora. The reunited Guard then invaded Unta, the Malazan imperial capital. Afterwards, Shell helped carry the wounded Commander Shimmer off the field of battle upon a litter fashioned from a tabletop.[2]

At the subsequent Battle of the Plains near Li Heng, Shell and Twisty used their magic to scour the Malazan lines together. After Commander Shimmer was attacked by two Hands of the Claw, the two mages used their healing skills to bring her back from the edge of death.[3] Shimmer then recalled all of her surviving mages to protect their central command point.[4] Shell and the other mages witnessed the opening of the Chaosrent as well as the arrival of the High MageTayschrenn. Shell remarked that she had seen Tayschrenn fight a magical battle before when he had challenged Anomander Rake at the Siege of Pale.[5]

When they reached the Stormguard fortress at Shelter, they infiltrated the Stormwall by passing themselves off as prisoners.[9] There she met Jemain, Iron Bars' former first mate on the Ardent, who told her the Avowed was still alive. Shell fought well on the Wall, eventually being relocated to the thick of the fighting. For a time her partner on the Wall was Tollen, the Malazan veteran.[10] Shell was the first of the rescue group to find Bars who immediately tried to kill her initially thinking her an assassin sent by Skinner.[11]

Later, when the Stormwall was coming down around them, Shell and her squad made their move to rescue Bars. After Blues fought a divinely blessed Wall Marshal Quint in hand to hand combat, Shell was seriously injured by Malazan High Mage Ussü's surprise attack. She was only able to join the Guard's counterattack after being healed by Fingers. Then she, Blues, and Fingers retrieved Bars, Corlo, and Jemain. Before the Wall came down Blues transported them all away by warren.[12]

Once free, they sensed Skinner and his Disavowed at the Sky Tower. They raced to meet them only to see their former comrades disappear into a warren with a fragment of the Crippled God. Shell and the others returned to Stratem to inform K'azz D'Avore.[13]